bjorn andre jaeger

Bjorn-André was born with a muscular atrophy disease, is confined to an electrical hospital bed and is dependent on assistants 24-hours a day. During his childhood he participated in regular elementary school but got his own computer quite early to make it easier for him to write. However, eventually he became unable to use the keyboard anymore and his ability to use the computer to communicate with others was severely limited.

"Before I got MyTobii, I didn’t have any assistive communication device for several years. During that time I was dependent on my assistants for everything."

Bjorn-André was one of the first people in Norway who got the chance to test an eye-controlled computer.

"My immediate impression was that it was very easy to use. I was sold on it directly."

Today, MyTobii is a part of everyday life for Bjorn-André. MyTobii has given him a large measure of independence and integrity, but has also enabled his world to become a little larger.

"I got a totally new life with this computer. Now I can do things that I needed help with before. The best thing is that I can use the Internet in the same way as everyone else. I can download music and films, send e-mail, shop and pay my bills."

On the bed there is a sticker with the motto, "Everyone dies, but not everyone lives". That is very typical Bjorn-André. He is extremely positive, intelligent, and a quick learner.

Bjorn-André tells how eye control works in Windows:

"It’s very easy, but difficult to describe," he says and laughs. "The mouse cursor follows the eyes where you look. I can stop the mouse cursor where I want to click. I just need to focus for a few hundredths of a second and it will click. It is very easy to surf, but writing takes a higher level of concentration. Today, I spend between 7-8 hours on the Internet. There are a lot of things to do and I only stop when I get tired."

Thanks to his extensive use of MyTobii, Bjorn-André is extremely good at using eye control. He has a very precise gaze point and can use a very small screen keyboard. At our meeting he gets to test a new onscreen keyboard with word prediction and it works immediately.

"The whole concept is great", he says. "I think people should try MyTobii if they need an assistive communication device. It has changed my day-to-day life and given me the possibility to do things for myself. For me, my private life and being able to communicate are what is important. When I use my computer it’s totally private – then, my assistants leave the room."